Southern Nevada Good Spirit Awards,

About the event

Suicide is hard to write about. It’s even harder to talk about, which is why it is so rarely discussed — especially in the media — unless a celebrity such as Chris Cornell ends his own life. And even then, public reflection on his lifelong struggle with mental illness and his suicide didn’t last much longer than a week. It’s not just depressing, it’s unsettling. It’s hard to know what to say, and people close to the victim feel guilty that they didn’t see it coming and intervene.

I lost my own beloved father to suicide in 2015. It was eye-opening, to say the least.

Following my Dad's passing, I immersed myself in the suicide prevention arenas trying my best to understand the realities of mental illness, depression and the hopelessness associated.

Speaking with several survivors, I have recognized a common theme: they felt that the only attention they received was of a negative nature.

We are a society that is quick to judge, spread gossip, bully and exploit negative news. It is no wonder the current statistics are climbing daily. It can be challenging to recognize your own self worth and contribution when all you hear is what you do wrong.

Did you know that Nevada has the fourth-highest suicide rate in the nation? Suicide is the second-leading cause of death for Nevadans 15-24?

Suicide rates among girls ages 10 to 14 tripled in the past 24 months. Ten to fourteen!!!! That is heart wrenching!

It is too late to save my dad but it is not too late to offer love, support and compassion to others. By doing so, it's quite possible that we can save someone else's father, mother, brother, sister, friend...

I am a firm believer that what gets celebrated, gets repeated.

Let's celebrate the goodness in our friends, neighbors, co-workers, family and everyday do-gooders.

I call them, "Good Spirits"!

I am embarking on a journey to seek, serve and celebrate the plethora of good spirits right here in the Las Vegas community. I would like for you to join me!

I have created an award card (The Good Spirit Award) that I will distribute over the next four months to area volunteers, rescuers, counselors, teachers and anyone that I see demonstrating compassion and kindness.

Each Good Spirit Award card will have a QR code linking the honoree to a virtual swag bag full of freebies, discounts, media downloads and words of gratitude.

I am seeking Las Vegas businesses to offer a gift or special offer to our honorees. The virtual swag bag is an online platform that enables each company to create their own custom ad and receive redemption reporting/statistics. It is extremely user-friendly!

The Good Spirit Award cards will be distributed June through September - 100,000 cards across the Las Vegas area.

The virtual swag bag will be available to them October through December. Just in time for the holidays!

In addition to offering a beautiful reminder to our community that they are worthy, you also receive extraordinary marketing/advertising for you and your business.

In addition to distributing award cards and building a fabulous virtual swag bag, a group of Vegas entertainers and local media will be conducting acts of kindness. A massive marketing campaign is underway. We will aggressively utilize social media as well as traditional news, radio and TV. It is conscious marketing!

We would love to have you join us! It's time to bring happy back!

Let's work together to remind our fellow Las Vegans that their lives matter!!

The Good Spirit Awards

seek. serve. celebrate.

Company sponsorship opportunities available but any donation helps us reach out and begin sharing the stories of the amazing people that make up the greatest city in the world: Las Vegas!

Why should you sponsor?

1) Visibility - Your logo/product placement/website distributed across the Las Vegas valley through January 2018. Utilize social media, traditional media, gift bags, uniforms and one-on-one marketing. Allow us to create a customized sponsorship package that will get your business the best value and visibility, plus great PR. We are going to celebrate amazing people and would love to promote your business along the way!

2) Target Audience - We are focusing on individuals and organizations that are heavily involved in our community and making a positive difference. Over 100,000 virtual gift bags will be distributed.

3) Press - We will utilize newspaper, radio, media, social media and web presence - locally and nationally. We would love to include your company logo and include your message in press releases as well as special mention in all interviews and live presentations.

4) Karma - Support real people, celebrating good people.

Tonya Farrens

The Good Spirit Awards founder and producer, Tonya Farrens, was inspired to launch the project when she lost her father to suicide in 2015. “Through the open hearts of area organizations, I was allowed a safe place to be vulnerable and work on healing from my tragedy. It was then I fully grasped that even in our most powerless moments, we can still be powerful for others”, said Farrens. “I remain astounded by how many people and organizations were at my fingertips to offer guidance, yet I couldn’t help but wonder – who was supporting them?”

The Good Spirit Awards has been designed to honor amazing people but to also to assure those that are currently suffering that they matter and help does exist.